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Director of Media & Community Relations

JJ Boehm

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September 23, 2014

SVSU Hosting Sustainability Conference

Wednesday, Sept. 24 - Friday, Sept. 26Curtiss Hall, SVSU

Saginaw Valley State University is co-hosting an international conference on business sustainability Wednesday, Sept. 24 through Friday, Sept. 26. SVSU’s College of Business and Management is partnering with Shri Ram College of Commerce, the renowned business school of the University of Delhi, India in organizing this conference on SVSU’s campus.

Events on the opening day (Wednesday), include a master class by Joe Affholter, a successful entrepreneur and co-founder and chief strategist for GANTEC, a Midland-based company with ties to Africa. It practices sustainable agriculture business with a unique village-focused supply chain and a triple-bottom-line business model that measures success in terms of positive economic, environmental, and community returns. Affholter will speak at 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday’s keynote address will be given by Linda Kennan, vice president for corporate stewardship at Dow Corning. She will speak in the Curtiss Hall banquet rooms at noon.

At 1:30 p.m., George Puia, Dow Chemical Co. Centennial Chair in Global Business at SVSU, will chair an industry panel that will discuss doing business in India.

That evening, conference participants will celebrate the rich heritage and culture of India, featuring food, music and dance with the conference co-hosts, Shri Ram College of Commerce, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Throughout the week, the conference will feature presentations by academic scholars and business professionals. Topics include sustainable energy, family business, sustainable agribusiness, and economic development. A full schedule is available online at www.svsu.edu/gbs2014.

September 18, 2014

Saginaw Valley State University and Saginaw Township Community Schools entered into a partnership with a school in India during a signing ceremony Friday, Sept. 12. SVSU, Saginaw Township schools and the Rani Channamma International Residential School for Girls in Kittur, India have reached an agreement for various faculty and student exchange programs aimed at increasing learning and cultural understanding.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Donald Bachand, president of SVSU; Doug Trombley, superintendent of Saginaw Township schools; and Mahendra Kanthi, chairman of the Board of Governors for Rani Channamma.

Details of the agreement call for the three educational institutions to share teaching and learning approaches that are considered best practices, to work on joint research projects, and to provide opportunities for students and faculty to travel abroad and experience different educational practices.

SVSU and Rani Channamma have participated in a similar arrangement with Carrollton Public Schools for several years.

September 12, 2014

SVSU and Saginaw Exchange Club to Rededicate Freedom Shrine

Saginaw Valley State University and the Exchange Club of Saginaw will celebrate Constitution Day one day early and rededicate a Freedom Shrine during a brief ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 in SVSU’s Zahnow Library.

Placed at schools and other buildings across the country, Freedom Shrines are a permanently mounted collection of 30 of the most important and historic American documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Gettysburg Address. They allow readers to see the immortal words of inspired Americans who decisively changed the course of history.

Complimentary pocket copies of “The U.S. Constitution and Fascinating Facts About it” will be distributed following the ceremony to those in attendance.

The shrine at SVSU is believed to have been originally placed on display in the 1970s, and for decades it could be found on the first floor of Wickes Hall. However, in light of forthcoming renovations to that building and to place the historic documents in a more visible location on campus, the display has been moved to the first floor of Zahnow Library.

September 12, 2014

World-renowned guitarist 'virtuoso' to perform SVSU concert

Internationally-known guitarist Javier Calderón will perform in concert at Saginaw Valley State University Saturday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Rhea Miller Recital Hall. The performance is part of SVSU’s Rhea Miller Concert Series.

The program includes music by composers such as German composer J.S. Bach, English composer Henry Purcell and Mexican composer Manuel Ponce.

From La Paz, Bolivia, Calderón played with the Bolivian National Symphony Orchestra at the age of 17. He performed his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall. The New York Times called him "a virtuoso with poetic sensibility."

Calderón tours in the United States, Europe and South America, and has performed chamber music concerts with popular cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Many composers have written and dedicated guitar concertos and solo pieces to Calderón. He recorded the Hovhaness Concerto for guitar and orchestra with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and released the CD in 2008.

Calderón is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, where he founded and heads the guitar program.

The Rhea Miller Concert Series is made possible by a generous gift from Rhea E. Miller, a long-time friend of SVSU. Her gift, administered by the Miller Trust for Music Education, provides the university with the opportunity to offer outstanding performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed musical artists at no cost to the audience.

Admission to the concert is free of charge, but seating is limited. For more information, contact the SVSU Department of Music at 989-964-4159. From Midland, dial 989-695-5325, ext. 4159.

September 12, 2014

Trumpeter Mark Flegg to perform in SVSU concert

Trumpeter Mark Flegg will perform for audiences Thursday, Sept. 18 at Saginaw Valley State University. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall, it is free and open to the public.

Flegg's concert program includes music by modern day composers James Stephenson and Meg Bowles, as well as classical composer Joseph Haydn.

An SVSU adjunct instructor of music, Flegg has performed with summer festival orchestras throughout the United States, including the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. He also has teamed with several Michigan ensembles, including the Detroit Symphony, Michigan Opera Theater and Ann Arbor Symphony.

A founding member of The Great Lakes Brass, Flegg is also the principal trumpet with the Flint Symphony Orchestra and Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. He maintains an active teaching practice in Farmington Hills.

Flegg will be joined by pianist Gail Gebhardt for the concert. For more information, please contact the SVSU Department of Music at music@svsu.edu or (989) 964-4159.

September 12, 2014

SVSU Business Sustainability Conference receives generous support from Consumers Energy and Stevens Center for Family Business

Saginaw Valley State University has announced two major sponsorships for its international conference on business sustainability Tuesday, Sept. 23 through Friday, Sept. 26. SVSU's College of Business and Management is partnering with Shri Ram College of Commerce, the renowned business school of the University of Delhi, India, in organizing this conference on SVSU's campus.

“We are delighted to acknowledge Consumers Energy and the Stevens Center for Family Business as premier sponsors for the conference,” said Rama Yelkur, dean of the College of Business & Management at SVSU. “Their generous support and active participation in this event have made it possible to have this innovative program at SVSU which will benefit both the local business community and our students.”

Dennis Dobbs, vice president of generation engineering and services for Consumers Energy said the utility is pleased to co-sponsor the program. “At Consumers Energy our promise is to deliver the energy customers need, whenever they need it. That includes helping Michigan save energy, caring for the communities we serve and developing green energy supplies for the future.

“We have helped Michigan residents and businesses save more than $575 million through our energy efficiency programs since 2009, and are proud to have provided more than $150,000 in rebates to SVSU for making energy-savings upgrades,” Dobbs said.

“Consumers Energy has been a pioneer in environmental stewardship in the state of Michigan for over 125 years,” Yeklur said. “We are delighted to recognize Consumers Energy as a premier sponsor for the Global Business Sustainability Conference. They have made a significant investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean energy to support their stewardship philosophy.”

Brenda Rowley, vice president of operations for Rowleys Wholesale and chair of the Stevens Center for Family Business executive council, said sponsoring the conference is a natural fit.

“Sustainbility is always an important factor for family businesses,” she said. “Their leadership typically takes a long-term perspective, so that the business 'sustains' and successfully transitions from one generation to the next.

“Family businesses are also known for being dedicated to the well-being of their communities and the broader world,” Rowley continued. “This is demonstrated in their increasing focus on environmental sustainability, economic development and social responsibility.”

“We are thrilled to have the Stevens Center for Family Business as one of the premier sponsors of the Global Business Sustainability Conference,” Yelkur said. “The Center is a major resource for family businesses in our region and supports family business sustainability through education, networking and collaboration.”

The conference features several industry panels with participation from businesses in the Great Lakes Bay region and beyond. Included are sessions that include the premier sponsors, one on family business sustainability Wednesday, Sept. 24 from 10:30 to noon, and the other on sustainable energy Friday, Sept. 26 from 10:30 to noon.

The conference kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 23 with a welcome reception at SVSU's Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum and continues over the next three days with numerous concurrent sessions, featuring both industry expert panels and presentations of original research on sustainability by academic scholars. In both the industry and academic tracks, individual sessions will focus on sustainability topics in a wide range of sectors including agribusiness, the automotive industry, construction, entrepreneurship, energy, family business, information technology and doing business in India.

This distinctive global conference is open to all business professionals, community leaders, academic scholars, and students with an interest in sustainability. For more information and to register for the conference, visit www.svsu.edu/gbs2014. Both full conference and single-day registration options are available.

About Consumers Energy

As Michigan's largest energy provider of renewable energy the company was named as the Midwest's "environmental champion" in a recent national survey of energy providers.

Consumers Energy is committed to Michigan. The company and its foundation as well as more than 7,500 employees have contributed $2.8 million in the past decade to Great Lakes Bay region organizations. The Consumers Energy Foundation has also contributed more than $180,000 to Saginaw Valley State University in the form of grants, sponsorships and support for the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum.Today, nearly 100 graduates of Saginaw Valley State University work for Consumers Energy.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS) , providing natural gas and electricity to 6.5 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

About the Stevens Center for Family Business

As part of the College of Business and Management, the Stevens Center for Family Business supports family business success through the generations by providing a wide range of educational and networking opportunities. With a triple focus on community outreach, academics and original research, the Center serves a wide range of constituencies, including family business owners, leaders, and trusted advisors. Since its founding in 2000, the SCFB has served more than 900 people from over 290 different family firms. Approximately 550 other community leaders have benefited from the Center's offerings, and more than 750 students have attended courses, programs and presentations offered by the Stevens Center for Family Business. For more information, visit www.svsu.edu/stevenscenterforfamilybusiness .

About SVSU College of Business and Management

Saginaw Valley State University's College of Business & Management provides a distinctive business education by integrating academic and experiential learning while challenging students to develop as professionals, leaders, and entrepreneurs in a dynamic, global environment. The college is among of the less than 5 percent of business schools worldwide that are accredited by AACSB-International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business . SVSU offers undergraduate programs in accounting, economics, finance, international business, management, supply chain management, and marketing as well as an MBA program. The college also hosts the Stevens Center for Family Business which offers resources for the unique needs of family-owned businesses. For more information, visit www.svsu.edu/cbm.

About Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University

For more than 75 years, Shri Ram College of Commerce has been a distinctive destination for those aspiring to pursue careers in business and economics. The college offers undergraduate degrees as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Global Business Operations, similar to an international business MBA. SRCC alumni occupy distinguished positions in government, banking, finance, academia and business. For four consecutive years, the school has been recognized as the No. 1 commerce school in India through a multi-faceted rating process conducted in partnership between India Today, the leading newsweekly in India, and Nielsen Company. For more information about SRCC, visit www.srcc.edu.

September 9, 2014

SVSU to Host Concert by Grammy-Winning Guitarist Earl Klugh

Saginaw Valley State University will welcome internationally acclaimed guitar virtuoso Earl Klugh to campus Friday, Oct. 24. He will perform in concert at 7 p.m. in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts.

Described by the New York Times as “a guitarist with impeccable technique,” Klugh has enjoyed a decorated career that includes his latest album, “HandPicked,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart following its release in 2013. The disc features 13 solo tracks, and three duets with very different musicians: famed jazz guitarist Bill Frisell; ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro; and Country Music Hall of Fame guitarist and singer Vince Gill.

Since Klugh released his inaugural album in 1976, he has landed on Billboard’s top-10 list of jazz albums 24 times; six of these topped the charts. His recordings have received 13 Grammy nominations (“HandPicked” being the latest), and his collaboration with pianist Bob James, “One on One,” received a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 1980. Over the course of his distinguished career, Klugh has performed with legendary musicians, including Gerald Albright, George Benson, George Duke, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Ray Parker Jr., Lionel Richie, and Stevie Wonder.

A native of Detroit, Klugh’s tour schedule this year has taken him from Japan to California to the famous Blue Note club in New York City. His visit to SVSU marks his first concert performance in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Tickets are $35 for the main floor and $30 for the balcony; student tickets are available for $10. All tickets can be purchased through the SVSU Box Office, available online at www.svsu.edu/boxoffice or by phone at 989-964-4261. NEW - Special hotel rates now available for out-of-town concert attendees.

Earl Klugh discusses his latest album

Earl Klugh's concert appearance sponsored by:

September 9, 2014

SVSU enrollment drops in line with expectations, academic quality continues to rise

Saginaw Valley State University experienced an enrollment decline consistent with projections for the fall 2014 semester, while the academic credentials of its entering freshmen rose reached an all-time high.

“The number of freshmen is down somewhat, mirroring the decline in high school graduates across Michigan, but we’re quite pleased that these freshmen comprise the best academically prepared class in our history,” said Deb Huntley, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

SVSU welcomed 1,502 freshmen this fall, down from 1,593 a year go, but the 2014 class arrived with high school GPA and ACT scores that are appreciably higher than previous years, including the 2013 class, which had been the best prepared entering cohort to date.

In all, SVSU has 9,829 students taking classes this semester, down from 10,245 a year ago. In addition to the decline in freshmen, SVSU continues to see falling numbers of teacher certification students and graduate students in the College of Education, due in large measure to changes in state regulations affecting K-12 educators. Compared to a year ago, there are 178 fewer graduate students and 61 fewer teacher certification students.

SVSU also is producing more graduates, leading to fewer returning students. SVSU saw record participation in May Commencement ceremonies, and to date, 1,144 students have completed degrees in 2014.

While the total number of students dropped 4.1 percent, the number of credit hours declined by just 2.8 percent, in keeping with budget projections. This is attributed in part due to undergraduate students taking larger course loads.

SVSU's residence halls are filled again this year. There are 2,722 students living on campus, including 73 percent of the freshman class.

Huntley cited international student enrollment as another bright spot.

“We have made it an institutional priority to increase and diversify our international student population, and this entering cohort of international students is a positive step in that direction,” she said.

SVSU welcomed 116 new international students this fall, up from 81 last year. In total, there are 630 international students attending SVSU, representing 37 different nations.

Fall classes at SVSU began Monday, Aug. 25.

September 8, 2014

Expert on justice in South Africa to present Edwards Lecture at SVSU

A leading authority on post-apartheid South Africa will give the 2014 Edwards Lecture in Philosophy and Religion at Saginaw Valley State University Monday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall.

Daniel Herwitz, the Frederick G. L. Huetwell professor of Comparative Literature, History of Art, and Philosophy of Art and Design at the University of Michigan will present a lecture titled, “Truth, Reconciliation and Transitional Justice."

Herwitz will explore events of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Committees, which were established in 1995 by the Government of National Unity to help the people of South Africa deal with the violence and human rights abuses that occurred under apartheid. The lecture looks to explore whether and how societies in the midst of political transition from authoritarian to democratic regimes demand special understanding from the point of view of the theory of justice.

Herwitz co-founded the Centre for Knowledge and Innovation at the University of Natal, South Africa, where he served as director for six years. He is the author of several books, including “Race and Reconciliation: Essays from The New South Africa.” Herwitz also has written “Heritage, Culture, and Politics in the Postcolony,” “ Key Concepts in Aesthetics,” and “The Star as Icon: Celebrity in the Age of Mass Consumption.”

The William and Julia Edwards Lecture in Philosophy and Religion was established through a gift from the couple in 1993. It annually brings distinguished scholars to SVSU to discuss timely and relevant religious and philosophical topics.

The lecture series is free and open to the public. For more information please contact Professor James Hitt at jhitt@svsu.edu or call (989)-964-2607.

September 8, 2014

SVSU Artist-in-Voice joined by pianist in upcoming concert

Mezzo-soprano Rachel Andrews, artist-in-voice at Saginaw Valley State University, will be joined in concert by pianist Nicholas Schmelter Sunday, Sept. 14, as part of SVSU’s Musical Artists Concert Series.

The concert begins at 4 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall, and is free and open to the public.

The concert program includes 18th-, 19th-, and 20th- century opera from German composers Georg F. Handel and Johannes Brahms, as well as French composer Francois Poulenc, English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and modern American composer Ben Moore.

Andrews completed a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Michigan. She has performed in opera, oratorio and recital from San Francisco to Michigan. In addition to SVSU, Andrews has taught at the University of Iowa, Spring Arbor University, Denison University and Washtenaw Community College.

Schmelter is currently the dean of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and has served as minister of music at historic First Congregational Church in downtown Saginaw since February 2011. He has performed recitals throughout Michigan, as well as Washington D.C., Chicago, Milwaukee and Toronto. Schmelter completed a master’s degree in music from Central Michigan University.

For more information about the concert, please contact the SVSU department of music at music@svsu.edu or (989) 964-4159.